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George Mason repaving/new buffered bike lanes

Hey everybody!

Not sure if this has been covered elsewhere, but I happened to be driving (gasp!) on N. George Mason Drive (between Yorktown and Lee Highway) and saw that as part of the recent repaving it's also receiving those v2.0 bike lanes with the extra buffering. Check it out!

Not sure if this has been covered elsewhere, but I happened to be driving (gasp!) on N. George Mason Drive (between Yorktown and Lee Highway) and saw that as part of the recent repaving it's also receiving those v2.0 bike lanes with the extra buffering. Check it out!

The day before yesterday when I went through here I took the lane b/c they were painting them. I shouted "thank you very much!" (b/c loud painting equipment going) to the workers as I went by.

White plastic flex posts have been installed which appear to mimic how the future enlarged concrete "porkchop" island will be. Walkers and bikers can now safely take refuge in the area immediately south of where the current concrete island is. There is now a single left-turn lane, down from two.

There is also a marking for a bike lane heading northbound on S. Walter Reed Drive....this will allow bikers heading north to stay in a bike lane while traversing the intersection.

White plastic flex posts have been installed which appear to mimic how the future enlarged concrete "porkchop" island will be. Walkers and bikers can now safely take refuge in the area immediately south of where the current concrete island is. There is now a single left-turn lane, down from two.

There is also a marking for a bike lane heading northbound on S. Walter Reed Drive....this will allow bikers heading north to stay in a bike lane while traversing the intersection.

No photos yet but I made a mockup from Google Maps.

It's a "pilot" project, so if you like what they're doing, please, please, please tell them (des@arlingtonva.us should work, but there may be a better contact for this project).

Originally Posted by KLizotte

They are planning on "fixing" two other intersections along the WOD and 4MR (but not Walter Reed?!) too as part of the same project.

There is also a marking for a bike lane heading northbound on S. Walter Reed Drive....this will allow bikers heading north to stay in a bike lane while traversing the intersection.

This is awesome! I pass NE-bound through this intersection on my morning commute, and drivers tend to drift over into the unmarked bike lane which puts a squeeze on cyclists such as myself who get walled in by the concrete island. With the new markings, I was surprised at how much space I actually got from drivers (who knew that's how it's supposed to be!).

Originally Posted by KLizotte

They are planning on "fixing" two other intersections along the WOD and 4MR (but not Walter Reed?!) too as part of the same project.

I noticed on parts of the Wilson Blvd bike lane in the Bluemont neighborhood that double white line "bulb-outs" were painted at intersections like Wilson/Jefferson, Wilson/Jacksonville, Wilson/Kensington, and more. I imagine they might get flexposts, too, to narrow the crossings which will make it safer for pedestrians.

Matthew Henson Trail - Viers Mill Rd - New Signal

While riding on the Matthew Henson Trail this weekend, I got a chance to try out the upgraded crossing at Viers Mill Rd. In the past few years, there were 2 separate crashes where cyclists were killed while trying to cross (one crash was blamed on the cyclist, the other crash was infuriatingly dismissed because MD law did not specifically state that mounted cyclists have any rights when using a crosswalk).

For added context, Viers Mill Rd has a 45 mph posted speed limit and crosses the Matthew Henson Trail in a valley (traffic is coming downhill from both directions). The intersection with outdated imagery can be seen here: https://goo.gl/maps/3kAueS8HT2Q2

I have pics combining what was before versus what is there now. Before is on the left, After is on the right for each. I tried to get a similar spot for the old shot.

approaching the intersection on the trail from the north, a new sign for cyclists that reflects the "you don't have pedestrian rights in crosswalks" judgement in the 2nd cyclist fatality case

here you can see the HAWK-like new signal; the signal has a constant flashing yellow, but when peds/cyclists push the beg button, the light cycle goes faster flashing yellow, solid yellow, red

In my experience going through this crossing both ways (I did an out and back on the trail), I noticed that drivers were confused as to what to do. They were stopping on the flashing yellow when I had a don't walk sign and waving me through; they're supposed to stop when their light turns red and I get a walk signal. I am concerned, however, by this because driver confusion leads to unpredictable behavior.

In my experience going through this crossing both ways (I did an out and back on the trail), I noticed that drivers were confused as to what to do. They were stopping on the flashing yellow when I had a don't walk sign and waving me through; they're supposed to stop when their light turns red and I get a walk signal. I am concerned, however, by this because driver confusion leads to unpredictable behavior.

I just don't understand why we can't use standard traffic lights for trail crossings.

White plastic flex posts have been installed which appear to mimic how the future enlarged concrete "porkchop" island will be. Walkers and bikers can now safely take refuge in the area immediately south of where the current concrete island is. There is now a single left-turn lane, down from two.

There is also a marking for a bike lane heading northbound on S. Walter Reed Drive....this will allow bikers heading north to stay in a bike lane while traversing the intersection.

I just don't understand why we can't use standard traffic lights for trail crossings.

I'm with Judd. Pedestrian Activated stop-lights generally work fantastic for things like this. So much less confusing.... I can somewhat understand the want for flashing yellow to indicate that drivers should remain cautious, but as Bobco stated, driver confusion leads to unpredictable behaviour. Unpredictable in a 4000 lbs weapon is not a good thing....